Pedro de Barros
Pedro Murilo Carioca de Barros (March 1, 1921 - July 7, 2015) was a Brazilian Army officer who served during World War II, several coups d'état, and the Dominican Civil War. Early life and family De Barros was born in the city of Fortaleza in the Northeast region of Brazil. He was of mostly Portuguese descent, but had partial native Amanayé heritage on his mother's side. His father, Lorenzo Àlvares (1897-1974), was a wealthy banker and investor with military connections who rose to new heights after the 1930 coup d'état. He sent Pedro to a military boarding school at a young age, trying to steer his son towards a successful career in the army. In 1938, at just seventeen years old, de Barros was accepted into the prestigious Academia Militar das Agulhas Negras in Rio de Janeiro. He graduated in 1941 as a Cadet, and was subsequently commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the Brazilian Army. Military service World War II In the wake of the Revolution of 1930, the army enjoyed a significant amount of political power, being the primary instigators of the military coup. Lieutenant De Barros was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 6th Infantry Regiment, then headquartered on the southern coast in the city of Caçapava. Having faced two coup attempts, one by Communists and one by Fascists, as well as international tensions with Argentina, the military was on high alert and de Barros and his men stood ready to deploy anywhere on short notice. Originally neutral when war broke out, Brazil declared war on the Axis powers in 1942 due to attacks on Brazilian shippin by German and Italian naval forces, as well as the good neighbor policy with the United States of America. The army was mobilized and plans were immediately made for the creation of an expeditionary force to go into combat alongside the Allied forces. In 1943, the 1st Expeditionary Infantry Division was established as the backbone of the new Brazilian Expeditionary Force, and Lieutenant de Barros's 6th Regiment was assigned to the formation. In July 1944, de Barros and the rest of the regiment set sail for Italy, the first troops of the 1st Division to go overseas. Disembarking in Naples, the Brazilians spent a period of time behind the front lines training alongside American troops and learning to use American equipment. In August, the 1st Division moved to Tarquinia, and from there prepared to join the Allied armies at the front, where the Allies were gearing up for an assault on the German-held Gothic Line positions. In September 1944, Lieutenant de Barros led his men in an attack on the town of Massarosa, driving out the German defenders and securing the objective. They subsequently captured Camaiore and pushed the Germans off of Monte Prano, securing the Serchio Valley. In October, the Brazilians suffered a defeat by the Germans around the town of Barga and were forced to stop and regroup. The next assignment for the division was a strategically-important mountain in the Appenines held by German troops. At the Battle of Monte Castello, de Barros and his men attacked and took the position, but were soon forced back by a German counterattack. The Brazilians tried again in December, but the attack was stopped by heavy enemy resistance. Having failed to carry the position, the division halted further assaults until the winter weather improved. In February 1945, de Barros led his men in Operation Encore, the final assault to secure Monte Castello. They drove the Germans off the point and held it for good. Throughout March, the Brazilians prepared for the Spring offensive which would end the war in Italy, codenamed Operation Grapeshot. Attacking in April 1945, Lieutenant de Barros and his men took part in the Battle of Montese, where they liberated the city and fought back a fierce German counterattack. Continuing to exploit the breaking in the German lines, the division broke into the Po Valley and fought the Battle of Collecchio, where de Barros and his men attacked and took the town, dislodging dug-in German and Italian defenders. They followed this up by taking Fornovo di Taro next, capturing many German prisoners. The Brazilians kept up the advance, taking Turin and reaching Susa by May 2, when all Axis forces in Italy surrendered unconditionally, ending the campaign. The war in Europe ended only a few days later. With the cessation of hostilities, the 1st Division continued to occupy the Italian provinces of Piacenza, Lodi, and Alessandria, with de Barros's unit occupying Francolise. In July 1945, Lieutenant de Barros and his contingent of soldiers departed Italy for Brazil, among the last of the FEB to leave Europe. Postwar and service in Suez After the war, de Barros and the 6th Regiment returned to garrison life. However, in October 1945, de Barros and his unit took part in a military coup, ousting the Estado Novo regime. For his part in the insurrection, he was promoted to Captain. In 1955, the military ensured the inauguration of President Juscelino Kubitschek during a period of institutional crisis. In 1956, in the wake of the Suez Crisis, the United Nations created a force to mediate a ceasefire between the belligerent parties. Captain de Barros was selected for UNEF (United Nations Emergency Force) and the Brazilian contingent left for Cairo in November. For a year, UNEF protected the transition of the Suez Canal and later stood as a barrier force between the Israelis and Egyptians in the region. In May 1957, the Brazilians returned home. 1964 Coup d'État As then-President João Goulart was suspected of Communist sympathies as well as enacting policies seen as too close to socialism, it was decided that the armed forces would depose him by force with assistance from the United States. De Barros, who had been promoted to Major in 1962, led his men in the Brazilian Army's march on the capital of Rio de Janeiro, beginning in March 1964. Goulart fled the country, with the military forces establishing their own junta in his place. Dominican Civil War In the Dominican Republic, a Communist rebellion against the government in April 1965. The Organization of American States saw direct intervention as the only means of restoring law and order, and many Latin American countries gathered together a peacekeeping force to assist the United States troops already there, known as the Inter-American Peace Force. Assigned to the Brazilian contingent, Major de Barros and his men rapidly deployed to Santo Domingo as a part of Operation Power Pack. Once in the city, the Brazilians came under direct attack by rebel forces, and the soldiers were forced to fight them off in combat that lasted throughout June. Finally, after elections were held, the IAPF was withdrawn in 1966. De Barros left the country in September. Retirement On December 1, 1966, Major Pedro de Barros retired from the Brazilian Army. As a competent soldier considered politically reliable by the prevailing right-wing factions of the military government, de Barros's service was honored by his superiors and he was given a very large pension upon his retirement. Personal life In 1948, de Barros married his girlfriend Maria Emiliana Queiros. They did not have children. Now a civilian, Pedro de Barros and his wife bought a house in the Centro neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro, where he would live for the rest of his life. On July 7, 2015, Pedro de Barros passed away of old age. Views De Barros was very much a conservative, and these opinions only got more pronounced as he fell in with the right-wing military establishment in the 1960s. He supported Juscelino Kubitschek's presidency and the economic boom that it brought, but believed Kubitschek had not gone far enough. He later saw the 1964 coup as a necessary evil to rid the country of Marxist and atheistic influences. He was also a pious Roman Catholic and allowed the church establishment to influence his political beliefs. Equipment Before going off to fight in World War II, de Barros was equipped with a Brazilian model M1908 Mauser rifle and Colt M1911A1 pistol. Arriving in Italy, the FEB was issued with American equipment, and de Barros was given a semi-automatic M1 Garand rifle, a step up from the bolt-action Springfields carried by the rest of the force. He also used the Mk II fragmentation grenade. In 1958, de Barros was given an IMBEL-manufactured FN FAL rifle, which he used in the 1964 coup as well as the fighting in Santo Domingo.Category:Soldiers in World War II Category:Soldiers in the Dominican Civil War Category:Brazilian soldiers